The View Panel is located at the top of an object's properties panel, and can display one or more views of the object, depending on the object's type.
There are a number of controls and menus within this panel, most of which are hidden by default.
View Panel Settings[ | ]
Annotated screenshot of Earth's View Panel, showing the sea level Temperature map
The Open View Panel Settings button on the upper right reveals the following settings:
Open Multiple Views[ | ]
This button opens six new view panels on the left of the screen, showing the following 2D maps: Aerial, Temperature, Elevation, Water Vapor Pressure, Liquid Water Depth, and Ice Depth.
Open View Panel[ | ]
This button creates a new view panel on the left of the screen, displaying whichever options were shown in the original view panel in the properties panel.
2D View Settings[ | ]
This button opens a menu containing more detailed options for the 2D view, including:
- Show Legend
- Hides or displays the legend for the surface property map
- Gradient
- Provides different options for the color scheme used in the surface property map
- Logarithmic
- Changes the scaling of the color scheme from linear to logarithmic
- Dynamic Range
- When on, the range of values used by the map changes to fit the actual minimum and maximum values of the surface property. When off, the minimum and maximum colors of the map are determined by the Min. Value and Max. Value properties.
Close View Panel Settings[ | ]
This button hides the view panel settings.
Object[ | ]
This property appears in view panels opened on the left side of the screen, and allows the user to change which object in the simulation is being displayed. When the Graph view type is selected, this property includes a list of objects whose properties are displayed on the graph, and allows the user to add additional objects from the simulation.
View[ | ]
Planetary Body objects have four Views available:
- 3D
- This view displays a 3D view of the object, with the selected Type displayed on its surface. The 3D view can be rotated by dragging the object within this panel.
- Composition
- This view displays a cutaway diagram of the object, showing the relative proportions of the materials that make up the object. No Type selection is available for this View.
- 2D
- This view will display a 2D map of the object's surface, with the selected Type of map displayed
- Graph
- This view displays a graph plotting two properties of the object.
When the View is set to Auto, the View Panel displays the Composition view when the Composition tab is selected, the 2D view when the Surface tab is selected, and the 3D view when any other tab is selected.
Type[ | ]
The Type options in the View Panel
When the 2D View is selected, this menu provides a list of the map views available, including a Daylight map showing illumination and any city lights on the objects surface, an Aerial map showing the fully lit surface, or one of seven data maps showing the value of one of the following properties across the object's surface:
- Surface Temperature
- Sea Level Temperature
- Elevation
- Displacement
- Water Vapor Pressure
- Liquid Water Depth
- Ice Thickness
For Gas Giant objects, which have no solid surface and thus no valid elevation or material phase simulation, only the Daylight, Aerial, Surface Temperature and Sea Level Temperature maps will be displayed.
X and Y Axis[ | ]
When the Graph view type is selected, these menus determine which object properties are plotted on the x- and y-axis of the graph. These properties are reflected in the title of the graph.
Search Properties[ | ]
When clicked, this button opens a search bar for finding specific properties in the open properties panel.
Toggle Object Preview[ | ]
This button hides the object's View Panel, leaving the properties panel in place.
Close Panel[ | ]
This button closes the entire properties panel.